Houses of Parliament/Westminster Bridge c.1910

The Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Houses of Parliament, was originally a royal palace. The present Gothic style building was finished in the 1860s. To see how Westminster looks now, click here.

The House of Lords is an ornate chamber 97 feet - 29.5 metres - in length; the Commons is 70 feet - 21 metres - long.

This photograph presents a striking view of the famous Big Ben - the largest and most accurate clock in England.

Westminster Bridge was the opened in 1750. It was the second masonry bridge across the Thames in London, its piers were founded in caissons for the first time in the UK. No dogs were allowed on the bridge and anybody found defacing the walls was threatened with death"